Changing The Rules
by Annie2
Summary: Next in the Change series; Clark and Lex go to Sunnydale to help.
1. Default Chapter

Changing the Rules  
By Annie  
  
Rated: PG Summary: California and Kansas get together and come up with a Plan. Disclaimer: Not mine, still, hard as I might wish. Spoilers: Buffy Season 7; General Smallville Feedback: crehnert@ptd.net  
Lex hadn't anticipated trying to get any paperwork done on this trip, and spent the hours being appropriately sympathetic to Clark's dread of the flight. Lex had forgotten that Clark had a fear of flying, and wanted him to be at ease when they finally arrived in Sunnydale. The lie Lex had told Martha Kent about looking into buying a chain of under-twenty-one clubs in California, and wanting Clark to render a teen's opinion, had rolled off his tongue much more easily than it would have coming from Clark. The Kents had grudgingly given their permission, specifying three days only.  
  
Lex hoped whatever they found in Sunnydale could be taken care of in three days, otherwise, Spike was on his own.  
  
Clark had refused the window seat, and Lex studied the clouds beneath them in silence. Every once in a while, Clark would ask a plane-related question, and Lex almost wished he could have plied the boy with Scotch before they boarded. After about his hundredth question regarding air travel safety, Lex looked him directly in the eye.  
  
"Clark, nothing is going to happen to us on this plane. Trust me, I know this."  
  
Clark raised an eyebrow. "How can you be so sure? Did you make the pilot promise not to crash into anything?"  
  
Lex smiled softly. "Nothing so mundane, Clark." He replied, nonchalantly brushing his fingers across the back of Clark's hand, briefly, so no one saw. "Nothing can happen to you, and nothing will happen to me, with you here."  
  
Clark looked at him seriously. "I hope you're right, Lex. I really do."  
  
Lex pulled the rental car to a halt directly in front of 1630 Revello Drive. The house looked quiet enough, didn't look like there was any crisis going on, but he had already steeled himself for the worst. Whatever the problem was here in the Hellmouth, it must be worse than the last time, when the Slayer had plunged to her short-lived demise. Having seen one Apocalypse, he wasn't in a hurry to ever see any more.  
  
He looked over at Clark expectantly. "Ready?" he asked.  
  
"Have to be, I guess," Clark remarked, opening his door and stepping out into the early evening light. Lex popped the trunk so they could retrieve their bags.  
  
The door was answered by a teen-aged girl with long brown hair, who took one look at their overnight bags and turned back into the house, yelling to the nether regions somewhere.  
  
"Buffy! Aren't all the Potentials supposed to be girls? You better get out here!" She turned back to them curiously. "Which country are you from?" she asked, and then stopped talking, as she actually looked at the two men on her doorstep. She frowned, pointing impolitely at Lex. "I know you from somewhere." She moved the offending finger in Clark's direction, and on closer inspection of the stranger, blushed furiously, right to the roots of her hair. "But I don't know you. You definitely don't go to Sunnydale High. I would have seen you."  
  
Clark was shaking his head and Lex interrupted. "We're here to see Spike. Is he here?" he asked, just as the Slayer herself came briskly down the stairs with, of all things, a sword in her hand. At the same time, an unimaginable number of people started to congregate in or near the hallway, trying to catch a glimpse of the newcomers.  
  
"Back," Buffy said shortly, and, amazingly, everyone listened.  
  
"Lex Luthor." She said in greeting, causing the younger girl's jaw to drop. "Is there something we can do for you?" Buffy asked, eying the bags in their hands.  
  
"Ms. Summers. Spike asked us here. This is Clark Kent. Clark, Buffy Summers, as for the rest, I have no idea. Oh, Anya!" Lex raised a hand in greeting to the ex-demon trying to make her way through a throng of teens.  
  
"Mr. Luthor," she was almost gushing, until Buffy turned and silenced her with a look.  
  
"Spike told you to come here." She repeated doubtfully.  
  
"He did, really, Miss Summers," Clark interjected shyly, wilting slightly under the looks and whispers riffling through what Lex estimated as about two dozen young girls.  
  
Buffy turned to the girl who had opened the door. "Dawn, find Spike."  
  
As Dawn went running, Anya reached out to grab Lex's arm. "Come in, come in. Aren't you going to ask them in, Buffy? You're being very rude. Did you read any headlines about Lex Luthor being assassinated or anything? He's real!"  
  
Buffy turned her attention to Anya, who was blatantly looking Clark up and down, still holding onto Lex's arm.  
  
"Anya, it's nice to see you again," Lex stated lightly, pulling his arm away pointedly. Clark had looked away briefly, and Lex knew he was snickering, wanted to kick him on the ankle but squelched the urge.  
  
"I know he's real, Anya." Buffy said firmly. "But I want to know why Spike wants him here before he sets foot in the house."  
  
Dawn came running back onto the scene, with the vampire right on her heels. He stopped short just before the spot where the light from the setting sun illuminated the floor.  
  
"Buffy, let them in." He insisted quietly. "They're here to help."  
  
Bags set aside on the floor in the hallway, Spike proceeded to introduce the two of them to everyone in the house, which took a few long minutes. Xander Harris and another man, a nervous, delicate-looking guy named Andrew, had joined them by now. Lex and Clark didn't even try to remember the names of all the girls. The little guy, Andrew, was bouncing excitedly, and had grabbed Xander's elbow. "Xander! That's Lex Luthor! Lex Luthor! I can't believe he's right here, in this house! Hey, doesn't he look like Warrior Angel? Especially in issue # 83, when Warrior Angel and Devilicus had to join forces temporarily to defeat the evil Overlord from Planet LV426?"  
  
Xander looked delighted. "Hey, you're right! I have two copies of that issue, they had two different collectible covers..." He trailed off as Buffy held up a hand for silence.  
  
"Introductions - over! Everyone, go practice weapons or something!"  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow at that, and looked at Clark meaningfully. Buffy spun on her heel to face the three men still standing near the front door. "Spike, you two - with me! Dawn, put this away, please."  
  
Handing the heavy sword to her sister, Buffy led the way into a small room that used to be a den but was now apparently a haven for sleeping bags, blankets and pillows. Buffy closed the door and faced them squarely.  
  
"Now, what's going on here?"  
  
Lex and Spike started to speak at the same time, but Buffy shook her head. "One at a time. Spike, you first."  
  
"I had an idea, Buffy. An idea that might really work. You said we needed all the help we can get. You say it all the time. Farmboy, there, he is all the help we can get."  
  
"Wait a minute," Clark spoke up. "Spike, I can't just go around telling everybody.all kinds of stuff. We thought we were just meeting up with you."  
  
"Clark is right," Lex agreed. "With all these people here, we can't do anything for you. My main concern here is to protect Clark. You never said he'd be helping in front of the general public. You know how I feel about this, Spike."  
  
"Wait," Buffy said. "Protect Clark? You have no idea what's going on around here, do you?"  
  
"Buffy," Spike interrupted her gently. "This idea of mine might be the only thing we have left. Hear me out."  
  
Lex sighed. "Yes, please hear him out. I'd like to hear this last- ditch effort idea myself. But first, I want to know what's going on here."  
  
"Fine," Buffy relented, if only to get this meeting over with and send the two of them packing. "Long ago."  
  
"Um, Buffy. Can I do this part?" Spike asked. "I know how he likes it."  
  
She rolled her eyes and motioned to the two newcomers. "Please. Be my guest."  
  
"Okay," Spike said, "Nutshell version: Original manifestation of pure evil, first one ever, about to take over the entire world. Can't be reasoned with, can't be bargained with, Terminator Evil, got it?" Spike didn't wait for more than a nod before he went on. "Army of unbelievably ugly, practically unkillable ubervamps that need to be destroyed before we can take on the First, who can't be killed by anything we've come up with so far. Also has a bunch of recruits with no faces, that are kind of mean."  
  
Lex and Clark digested this for a moment. "Sounds like a Tuesday night in Smallville," Lex remarked dryly. "And how exactly can we help?"  
  
"Just what I'd like to know." Buffy added. "Spike?"  
  
Spike looked at Lex and Clark expectantly. "Can I tell her?"  
  
"It's up to you, Clark." Lex decided. "If you think we can trust her."  
  
"You can," Spike interjected. "She'd never tell anyone."  
  
"Tell anyone what!" Buffy asked, getting aggravated. "Time is too short for this run-around, Spike!"  
  
"He has powers!" Spike blurted out. "He's incredibly strong, and I thought we could use him to help us fight the ubervamps. And then I thought we could get Red to cast an enjoining spell."  
  
"Spike!" Lex objected, and Clark just groaned inwardly. There had been too much revelation lately in his life as it was, and he didn't know any of these people.  
  
Buffy stared. "You what?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Just listen, Buffy," Spike insisted. "You refused the demon strength they tried to give you, like they gave the First Slayer. If we did an enjoining spell, the three of us, we'd have your Slayer powers and know- how, my demon and his strength, all together. Willow did it before, she can do it again. Maybe it'll be enough." He turned to Clark and Lex. "We won't tell anyone about Kent. We'll just tell the others he knows some stuff about the First and that's why we're using him. And you'll be good fighting the ubervamps anyway, strong as you are."  
  
Clark was shaking his head doubtfully. "I don't know."  
  
Lex stood stiffly, closer to Clark now. "You cannot even begin to imagine how opposed I am to this idea. We could all be killed. We've even been warned. I don't want Clark exposed to any black magic, or whatever this enjoining spell is."  
  
"You've been warned?" Buffy asked. "Let me guess. You saw dead people."  
  
Clark started. "We did. Lex saw his Mom and I saw a friend of mine who died a while ago. They both told us not to come here."  
  
Buffy nodded. "It's the First. Spike should have warned you. The First isn't corporeal, but it can take the image of anyone who has been dead. It can look like Spike and me, too, so we have to be extra careful. As for the magic, it isn't black magic, not the way you're thinking. We've used the enjoining spell before, when we needed to destroy a particularly resistant creature. Spike may be right. That might work on the First, but we'd have to get to it, and according to my vision, there are thousands of ubervamps to deal with on the way."  
  
"Don't say 'we'," Lex reminded her. "I don't think we're staying for the show. I don't want to risk it."  
  
"The spell can't hurt me, right?" Clark asked, and at Buffy's negative shake of her head, he turned to Lex. "We don't even know if magic affects me, Lex. It may not work anyway. And I don't have to play commando with the uber-whatevers, either." He looked at Buffy and Spike excitedly. "Does fire affect them, these uberthings?"  
  
Buffy shrugged. "It should, we haven't had the chance to try it out."  
  
"What did you have in mind?" Spike inquired curiously, wondering what he may have missed while he was in Kansas.  
  
Clark turned back to Lex. "I can burn them all up. They won't get anywhere near us."  
  
"Clark," Lex was beginning to object again, and Clark leaned in closer to his face. "Lex, what if this is why I'm here?"  
  
"Save the world, Clark?" Lex questioned softly, feeling his heartbeat speed up at the thought that Clark was going to do this thing, was going to risk his life, and Lex would have to be there to watch. "I thought you were doing that one person at a time. Starting with me."  
  
"I'll always be here to save you, Lex." Clark assured him, reaching down to squeeze Lex's hand. "We can do this. We can help."  
  
Clark turned back to the Slayer and the vampire. "First thing, no one out of this room can know about me. Whoever this Red is, she only gets exactly the information she needs to do this spell. Though I should tell you, I have another gift that might come in handy for the enjoining."  
  
Spike raised an eyebrow questioningly.  
  
"Invulnerability," Lex answered for Clark. "If you can enjoin that, you can win. That is, if the magic can affect Clark."  
  
Buffy opened the door and called down the hall. "Willow!"  
  
"We'll see about that right now," she decided.  
  
It was a simple enough thing to prove; Willow cast a spell to make Clark's nose bleed, and it didn't work. She couldn't hurt him physically. Then she asked him to request something, and at his suggestion, turned his hair purple, then back to black. The magic worked on him if he allowed it.  
  
Willow nodded in satisfaction, then turned to her friend. "I think it'll work, Buffy. He's agreeable to the enjoining spell, so he'll be able to participate, and it looks like he can repel any magic that might damage him." She studied Clark curiously for a moment. "I don't know how you do it, but you might be the one person capable of coming through this in one piece."  
  
"Nobody's dying," Clark vowed, uneasy with the barely-disguised dismay in Lex's eyes.  
  
"All right, Will, get everybody together. Might as well get this show on the road."  
  
They crowded into the parlor; two dozen twittery, nervous teens, Andrew, Clark, Lex, Anya, Xander and Spike, standing on the sidelines, crammed onto furniture and crushed together on the floor. Buffy stood in the doorway so she could see everyone.  
  
"What's the deal, Buff?" Xander asked. "We have a plan?"  
  
"The deal," Buffy told them, "Is that Clark and Lex have come to offer their, expertise, I guess you'd call it, to help us defeat the First. We'll all be working together on this."  
  
"Buffy," Xander interrupted her. "We don't usually work with outsiders. No offense guys," He said, looking toward the corner where Clark and Lex were leaning unobtrusively against the wall. "How do we know we can trust them?"  
  
Buffy was unyielding. "I know what you're saying Xander, and you're right. But Spike says we can trust them, and I think we can. The rules are changing as we go here, and this time, we fight with outsiders."  
  
"But, Giles," Anya started, and Buffy shook her head firmly.  
  
"We have no idea when Giles will get back from Indonesia with the last Potential. We're not waiting. We move tomorrow. Everybody try to get some sleep. I'll have a plan in the morning." She looked to the two visitors. "If you two would like to have some sandwiches or something, the kitchen's that way," she told them, pointing. "There are extra sleeping bags in the storeroom, just grab two and find some place to sleep. Spike and Xander usually bunk in the basement, to stay away from the chatter." She smiled encouragingly. "I'll see you in the morning," she said, heading for the stairs.  
  
Clark looked at Lex. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving!" he laughed, and headed the way Buffy had pointed, Lex following despite the lack of an appetite.  
  
The Potentials started getting their own things ready for bed, calling dibs on the bathroom and generally scattering throughout the house. Willow, Xander, Anya and Andrew went into the dining room to try to fathom what Buffy's plan could entail, leaving Spike and Dawn in the parlor. Spike pulled himself away from the wall he had been leaning against, intending to go outside to have a smoke. He smiled to himself, a bit sadly, as he watched Dawn's eyes following the retreating form of Clark Kent as he made his way to the kitchen, faithful millionaire shadow close on his heels.  
  
"Interesting turn of events, wouldn't you say?" Spike asked her, already fishing a cigarette out of the pack, feeling a small pull of sympathy at the look on her face.  
  
She sighed, so softly he wouldn't have heard it without vampiric senses. "He's perfect." She whispered, as if she were entrusting Spike with a great secret. He squatted down in front of her, catching her gaze, and Dawn had almost forgotten how blue those eyes really were.  
  
"No, you're perfect, Niblet," he assured her quietly, warming her heart with the name he had stopped using for such a long time. "Don't beat yourself up. He's kind of taken. I don't want you hurt." Spike touched her hand briefly. He stood then, and started to leave the room, heading for the front door. "If Buffy wants me, I'll be on the porch."  
  
Lex barely slept in the sleeping bag on the basement floor, and knew by the breathing he could hear around him that no one else was really sleeping either. Nothing like being well-rested for a fight he thought wryly, senses reaching out for the warmth of the body in the other sleeping bag a few feet away. Xander was across the room, and Spike was sitting on his cot in the dark, smoking one cigarette after another. Lex really needed a drink.  
  
Tomorrow was coming far too quickly.  
To be continued 


	2. Changing the Rules 2

Changing the Rules 2  
  
By Annie  
  
Rated: PG Summary: Showdown with the First Evil Disclaimer: Still not mine. Spoilers: Buffy Season 7 Warning: Pre-slash Feedback: crehnert@ptd.net  
Lex walked out onto the porch into the early-morning sun and sat on a comfortable old chair there, glad for the quiet, although even out here the babble of voices reached him. He'd managed to grab a quick piece of cold toast in the midst of the over-crowded kitchen, and had retreated outside with his mug of black coffee. Lex looked at the murky liquid and wished he could pop into the Talon for just a minute. He wondered briefly how they were managing to pay what must be a grocery bill to rival the national debt, and tried to decide if offering Buffy some cash would be considered insulting. He had almost laughed when he saw the amount of food the nervous Potentials had been piling up in front of Clark. Toast, eggs, muffins, bacon, fruit, drinks, each one of them wanting just a moment of his undivided attention, the food tendered like tiny blasphemous sacrificial offerings to a savior. They knew. Somehow, they knew and respected the being that had appeared in their midst to offer help against something they feared was undefeatable. Budding Slayer senses would be responsible for that intuition, Lex assumed.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the well-fed boy himself, as Clark came out onto the porch to join him.  
  
"There you are!" Clark said unnecessarily, leaning against the porch railing easily, facing Lex, sunlight glinting in his hair and eyes, marking him for Lex, branding him Lex's, and Lex felt a stab of fear inside at the very real possibility of loss.  
  
"I was looking all over for you," Clark complained, looking relieved that he had found Lex. Not like I'm going to go off and leave him, Lex thought. "Did you eat?"  
  
Lex forced a smile. "Not nearly as much as I saw you eating." He declared teasingly. "They do say, the way to a man's heart."  
  
Clark laughed, stopping him from finishing the old cliché. "There's way too much going on around here to think about that, Lex."  
  
Lex stood abruptly, coming close enough to Clark that he could have leaned right in and kissed him. He didn't.  
  
"We can go." Lex offered. "Right now. We'll just get in the car, drive to the airport and catch the next flight out to anywhere. Make our way back to Smallville from wherever we end up. We won't even go back in and take our things. I'll buy you new stuff. I don't want you to do this."  
  
Clark crossed his arms in front of himself, building a barrier, and he wasn't sure it was to keep Lex away from him or to keep himself away from Lex, because he could feel the fear in Lex's heart, that fear of losing Clark that had Lex ready to drop everything, appearances be damned, and go back home.  
  
"Lex, if we don't help, there won't be any new stuff to buy. Anyway, we promised Spike."  
  
Lex stepped back and took a swallow of his cold coffee. He really missed the Talon. "I - we- didn't promise anybody anything. But while we're on the subject, I was talking to Spike just before dawn today. I asked him about the chip and he said it malfunctioned big time, it was going to kill him. Buffy had to call in some favors or something, and now it's out. He mentioned he did some horrible things, that his insanity was part of this First Evil's hold on his mind. Even when he was at the castle."  
  
"That far away?" Clark asked. "But it did send the ghosts to warn us off, so I guess we shouldn't be too surprised."  
  
Anya stuck her head out the door just then.  
  
"You guys want to come in? Big combat briefing in a sec." She informed them, disappearing just as quickly.  
  
Clark stood away from the railing and Lex caught his arm, stopping him from going inside. "Last chance, we're staying right? All for one and one for all, that it?"  
  
"Last chance for everybody, the way I see it." Clark replied. "We stay."  
  
It was a replay of the parlor meeting the night before, made different only by the addition of a white message board, with a lot of crude drawings on it. Two monstery-looking things, and, in big letters, FE, which Lex assumed was supposed to represent the First. Apparently, no one knew what it looked like, if it was even able to be seen. Buffy had said it was noncorporeal. How do you fight something you can't see? Lex wondered silently.  
  
Buffy went right into it without any morale-raising preamble. "We have a plan. It's quick, and I know you all weren't expecting this would be happening so soon, but it is. Deal. Listen. My vision of the hordes of ubervamps leads me to believe the First is still in the network of caves where Spike was being held and tortured."  
  
Clark and Lex exchanged a look at this, but went right back to paying attention.  
  
"This is how it's going to go down; we're all going into the caves. Willow is going to cast an enjoining spell linking Spike, Clark and myself. Clark has a way to deal with the ubervamps, so we'll take care of them first, get them out of the picture. All of you, along with Xander, Dawn, Anya and Andrew, will be behind us, with your backs turned away from the enjoining spell, to take care of any Harbingers that may try to come at us from that direction. No Harbinger can be allowed to come anywhere near us, no matter what it takes. No matter what."  
  
Buffy had glanced at Lex briefly as she said this, and Lex gave a slight nod to let her know he understood. If the others all had their backs to the enjoining spell, none of them would see Clark using any of his powers. This fit into her plan, and eased one of Lex's fears about the whole thing.  
  
"Andrew, you will be given a real weapon for this, and I expect you to use it efficiently. Xander, if Andrew tries to harm anyone not connected with the First, kill him. Immediately. Clear?"  
  
Andrew seemed to shrink a bit at the hardness in the Slayer's eyes. "Clear," Xander assured her, eyes shifting to Andrew uneasily for a second.  
  
"That's the plan. We fight. We win. If the enjoining spell doesn't work, it's over."  
  
"What are you having me do in all this?" Lex asked. "I'm not staying behind."  
  
Buffy smiled grimly. "No, you're not. What you're going to do is guard Willow during the spell. If anything gets near her, harms her, interrupts the spell, that's it. Game over and we all die. Got it?"  
  
"Sure," Lex smirked. "No pressure there."  
  
"Okay then. Xander, weapons all around, and everybody meet out front."  
They walked, at Buffy's insistence. She didn't want them separated, and it would have been necessary to make several trips in the two available cars, Xander's and Lex's. They had time to walk, she declared, and prepare themselves on the way.  
  
Xander, Anya and Andrew walked at the head of the strange procession, with Buffy and Willow bringing up the rear, going over details. Spike and Lex walked next to each other a few feet ahead of them, and Clark walked in an assemblage of Potentials and Dawn, head and shoulders over all of them.  
  
Lex hefted the heavy battle axe, hoping he wouldn't have to use it, but thinking he probably would. He would have preferred an old-fashioned duel with one of his fencing foils, but that would have been too easy.  
  
Spike took a deep drag on the cigarette he had just lit, swinging a broadsword effortlessly by his side. "In case I haven't said it, Luthor, I'm glad you and the boy are here."  
  
Lex's lips twitched in what could have almost been a sarcastic smile. "Yea, well, you're welcome. Quite a way we've come, isn't it Spike? From the desperate vampire who came to Kansas all the way to this apocalyptic little war. Amazing."  
  
Spike shrugged. "Seen stranger stuff."  
  
"Stranger than a bunch of people walking through town looking like a vigilante group, all armed to the teeth? In broad daylight?"  
  
Spike sorted sardonically. "Blokes around here have seen everything. They won't even look out their windows too long, and none of them will stop and ask. Just another bloody day at the Hellmouth. Anyway, whatever happens, thanks."  
  
Lex nodded silently, sparing Spike a long glance. "I'll see you after." Lex promised.  
  
"Yea, after," Spike mumbled as Lex stepped a bit faster to go ahead and catch up with Clark. Spike was trying to wipe the memory of the last Apocalypse from his mind, when Buffy walked up beside him, crossbow in one hand, the other brushing his arm lightly to get his attention.  
  
"I hope this works," she said, looking up as if she had wanted to say something else. Their eyes locked and his step faltered just the slightest.  
  
"Yea, well, so do I," he replied, and would have said something else, but she interrupted him.  
  
"I'll see you after, too," she told him softly.  
  
It was all quiet at the caves, and Spike felt unbidden terror coming back at the memory of the torture he had endured there, pushed it down ruthlessly and listened to Buffy reminding everyone of their duties.  
  
"Now, you girls, Andrew, Dawn, Anya, Xander, stay behind us. We're going to search for the uberuglies first. Stay here and guard the entrance to the cave, until I call for you."  
  
Andrew and Xander stood at the ready in front of the girls, watchful eyes scanning the surrounding trees and brush for anything suspicious.  
  
"Shields up." Andrew whispered.  
  
Buffy, Willow, Spike, Clark and Lex walked cautiously into the cave, Willow handing out some small flashlights from the bag of supplies she had brought along. Clark took one, even though he didn't need it. They had gone a fair distance into the cave, hearing and seeing nothing. Clark was using his x- ray vision, and as they got a bit deeper inside, he caught sight of a huge cavern several turns ahead. What he saw there stopped him in his tracks, Lex bumping into him unexpectedly.  
  
"I found them." He reported simply.  
  
"Where?" Buffy wanted to know.  
  
"Cavern, three turns away," Clark told her, and Buffy refrained from asking him how he knew.  
  
"How many?" Lex asked.  
  
Clark raised an eyebrow. "All of them, looks like."  
  
Lex walked up to him so he could look into his face. "Can you handle them?" At Clark's nod, he had to ask again anyway. "Are you sure?"  
  
Clark grabbed Lex's elbow and led him back the way they had come, getting out of earshot of the other three.  
  
"I think I'm ready." Clark said earnestly.  
  
"You can burn that many of them? Before they can slaughter us all?"  
  
Clark actually smiled then, a bit cockily. "Hey, it's me, invulnerable, remember?"  
  
"Well, you may be indestructible, Clark," Lex reminded him wryly, "But the rest of us don't have any such advantage."  
  
Clark surprised Lex then by grabbing Lex's face, big hands holding him lightly, looking into his eyes intently. "That's not the ready I'm talking about," he said, making Lex's heart pound with a different kind of fear now. "Nothing is going to happen to me, and nothing is happening to you either. You wouldn't dare leave me now, would you, Lex?"  
  
"Never willingly," Lex managed to get out, reaching up to pull Clark's head down and rest his lips in the lush softness of his hair. He tilted Clark's head back again so he could look at his face.  
  
"Burn 'em up, Farmboy. Show us what you've got."  
  
Clark grinned and turned away from Lex, striding past the three sets of raised eyebrows watching the unfolding scene, and headed for the cavern he had spotted.  
  
The ubervamps were apparently aware of the presence of the intruders, but unaware of the fiery fate that awaited them. Clark rounded the last turn and came upon the open cavern, nothing less than a sea of undulating gray, one demon practically indistinguishable from another, they were packed so tightly. They surged up as one, heading toward Clark and the four humans behind him, standing with weapons at the ready. They met with nothing from Clark but an intense gaze that swept the entire cavern, wall to wall. Willow, Spike and Buffy watched with trepidation as Clark seemed to be simply looking for something, when suddenly, waves of intense heat appeared to erupt from his eyes, skimming across the tops of the surprised ubervamps, causing them to burst into flames. It was totally unexpected, stopping the horde of demons just long enough for the flames to dig deeper, slashing through the throng of monsters, each flaming creature setting fire to the one next to it, the washes of flame unrelenting, utter fiery desecration, smoke, eerie screeching and the smell was really horrible, but Clark didn't stop until everything in front of him was ashes, thousands of demons, incinerated before their eyes.  
  
"Good trick," Spike remarked with barely disguised admiration, the first of the three to find his voice.  
  
"Maybe not as good as you think," Lex said warningly, indicating the deep mounds of ashes before them. They were moving, undulating, running together to coalesce into a shape, charred remains of ubervamps merging to form a hellaciously ugly, horned, charcoal-looking creature, with burning eyes the only feature visible where its' face should have been.  
  
"My turn," they heard, but in their heads, simultaneously, not out loud.  
  
"The First," Buffy whispered in awe.  
To be continued 


	3. Changing the Rules 3

Changing the Rules 3  
  
By Annie  
Rated: PG Summary: Defeating the First Evil Disclaimer: Not mine, no matter how hard I try. Warning: Modicum of slash. Spoilers: Buffy Season 7 Feedback: crehnert@ptd.net  
"Back!" Buffy shouted, turning and running flat out back toward the entrance to the cave. They all followed, Clark forcing himself not to superspeed, but damn, this was scary!  
  
Buffy stopped about thirty feet from the entrance, shouting to Xander to bring everyone in and take positions, looking back to see if the First had followed them.  
  
Nothing in sight. Yet.  
  
"Willow, hurry!" Buffy urged, while the others all rushed into the cave, taking one look at their companions' faces, then turning back to the entrance, weapons ready.  
  
Willow was pulling things from her backpack quickly and setting them up on the floor of the cave; candles, plants of some kind, jars of something Lex couldn't identify.  
  
Buffy laid her crossbow down within easy reach. "Lex, get to Willow," she snapped. "Remember what I said - you fail, we all die!"  
  
Lex wasted one precious second to touch Clark's hand, then hefted the huge battle axe and took a determined stance behind Willow.  
  
Buffy turned to Spike and Clark, holding out her hands, waggling her fingers to bring them closer.  
  
"Circle, now," she instructed briskly. Spike and Clark each took one of her hands and then took each other's.  
  
Buffy looked at each of them in turn, blue eyes, hazel eyes, lingering just a second longer on Spike's face.  
  
"See you both after," she promised.  
  
"After," they both replied.  
  
Spike and Buffy closed their eyes. Clark cast one more look in Lex's direction, then took a deep breath and closed his.  
  
Willow sat on the floor of the cave and lit a candle, and just then the Harbingers came out of nowhere and began to storm the entrance to the cave. Lex stared, frozen in place, mesmerized by the sight of Xander and Andrew all but leaping toward the demons, swords flashing in the bit of sunlight finding it's way inside. There were at least ten of them, and Lex's first instinct was to run and help, but the girls had jumped into the fray as well, decimating the first wave of resistance.  
  
Willow closed her eyes, somehow ignoring the sounds of fighting, the shrill scream of a Potential going down. She raised her hands, palms up, and began to speak softly. Intriguing smells were coming up from the floor, and almost made Lex dizzy, causing him to wonder again what was in the jars.  
  
"The power of the Slayer and all who yield it, from last to first, we invoke thee. Grant us thy domain and primal strength. Accept us and the power we possess. Make us mind, heart, spirit and power. Encompass us. Heart and soul, power, and the hand of good, all joined to merge into one Warrior, the one great Defender. Let us inhabit the plane of existence where this ancient evil abides, let us prevail together."  
  
Another horde of faceless demons tried to get into the cave, twice as many this time. Lex watched in horrified fascination, his gaze torn between the bloody fight and the blinding white light which seemed to appear from nowhere and envelop Buffy, Clark and Spike. He almost called Clark's name but stopped himself with an effort. Nothing must interrupt the spell.  
  
Lex turned back to the struggle at the cave entrance in time to see Andrew fall beneath a crushing blow. Anya and Dawn leaned down to help him back up, Xander using his sword to behead the offending Harbinger, then immediately turning and going after another one. Another Potential went down with a scream, and tears came to Lex's eyes at witnessing this display of bravery and determination. More and more of the Harbingers were appearing at the cave entrance, all but blocking out the light. He spared a glance back to the enjoined three, but could barely see them through the swirling light. Willow was perfectly rigid, mouthing something he couldn't hear, eyes still closed. Lex's hand gripped the battle axe tightly, and he stayed where he was, even though every instinct in him was forcing him to join the battle.  
  
Buffy, Spike and Clark were totally unaware the battle had even begun. While they were listening to Willow's words, the white light had grown and enveloped them, soothing and protecting, shielding them from everything outside of themselves.  
  
Buffy felt love, then confusion and insanity. Fire in her eyes, power in her limbs, a strange sense of not belonging, but then she did belong, strength flowing up into her from the hands she held so tightly.  
  
Spike felt like his soul belonged in him for the first time since he had regained it, felt his power and determination flowing out of him into the hand he held in his. Felt a deep blackness moving within him, leaving him for a better purpose.  
  
Clark felt indescribable fullness, unity suddenly appearing deep within him; he belonged, and he willingly allowed the powers, his strength, his invulnerability, to run through and out of him, shared with the Slayer next to him, gripping her hand tightly, unconcerned that he could hurt this small, powerful creature; he knew somehow he wouldn't.  
  
"Buffy," a familiar voice whispered softly. Buffy mentally opened her eyes to see her Mother standing before her, holding out her hands. "Go home, Buffy."  
  
"No," the Slayer mouthed silently, the sound loud in their minds. "You go home," she demanded, and in her mind she kicked out furiously, sending the vision spinning away, enraged shriek echoing in their heads.  
  
Lex had glanced one more time at the white light in the center of the cave, and when he looked back, a Harbinger had broken free of the attacking Potential Slayers and was rushing right toward him. Or rather, right toward Willow. The witch was still rigid, chanting, "No, you go home," Lex heard her whisper, and then the demon was almost on her. Lex felt a surge of fear and swung out viciously with the huge axe, cutting deep into the thing's side, sickening crunch as it hit, gout of something that smelled really bad. Lex pulled the axe away, ready to swing again, and the demon rushed one more time.  
  
The axe went right through this time, and Lex almost fell over from the force of his own swing, gasping and leaning on the weapon, looking in distaste at the mess before him. Willow continued to sit and chant calmly.  
  
A little boy came, and Buffy heard something in her mind that made her think Clark had whimpered in denial. So, Clark's, then.  
  
"You must stop now." The little boy pleaded. "If you could only see what I see." He said mournfully, walking slowly through Buffy's mind, coming closer, and she reached out a mental hand and pushed him away heavily, sending him toppling, over and over out of sight, and Clark whimpered again.  
  
"I've seen enough," Willow whispered, as Buffy's lips moved inside the light.  
  
Buffy felt Spike resist as Drusilla appeared suddenly.  
  
"Such a bad boy," Dru was crooning. "Naughty, naughty, dirty little demon to touch the Slayer and leave her alive." Spike moaned. Buffy imagined a stake, imagined driving it deeply into Dru's unbeating heart.  
  
"Dust," Willow said, and Lex tried to see into the light, but it hurt his eyes. The most he could tell was that the three were still standing, and he supposed, hoped, that was a good sign.  
  
Three more Potentials had fallen, and Lex quickly took stock of the fighters; he could still see Dawn, Anya, Xander and Andrew, and let a small sigh of relief escape. The Harbingers were slowly declining in number, but it didn't look like anyone was going to escape unscathed. A horrible thought occurred to him; what if a Harbinger tried to rush the enjoined three? Should Lex desert his post behind Willow to save them? Or would an attacker be naturally repelled? Hopefully, he'd never have to find out. Another shriek of pain from the midst of the battling humans, and Lex wanted to double over from the pain inside, wanted to run over there and inflict some damage, knew he was forbidden to move.  
  
"Dust," Buffy said, and they watched the dust motes that had been Dru flutter wildly before them, suddenly massing together to become the huge, charred monster, the Phoenix that had arisen from the ashes of the ubervamps.  
  
It roared angrily, something powerful erupting from somewhere inside it, rampaging toward the three of them, engulfing them, heat, power, white noise that tried to crush them, and failed, shattering away as quickly as it had touched them. And again, stronger, harder, still turned away as if it were nothing at all.  
  
The First Evil was howling in rage, assaulting them again and again, uselessly, bits and pieces of it starting to crumble away, disappearing into the white light of the spell.  
  
Buffy smiled in her mind, taunting it. "This is how we kick noncorporeal ass," she told her companions, as Willow mouthed the words along with her, drawing Lex's attention from the waning battle before them.  
  
Again, another onslaught, and more pieces began to fall. In her mind, Buffy opened her eyes, staring intently, grip tightening impossibly on Spike's and Clark's hands. "Give it to me," she demanded, addressing them both. Spike pushed against the bits of the First still imbedded somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, and Clark mentally opened his own eyes, following Buffy's lead, concentrating.  
  
"Give it to me," Willow said, and Lex looked down at her curiously, thinking for a second that she wanted his battle axe. That was when one of the last Harbingers flung an attacking Dawn into the wall of the cave and headed right for Willow. At the same time, another one was running toward the white light. Lex turned to swing, but the demon was on him, arm swinging out viciously to knock him to the ground, battle axe falling away. Lex scrambled for it, rose up and heaved the axe, cleaving the Harbinger in half a split second before it reached Willow. The other Harbinger had reached the white light and Lex didn't think twice, left his post and ran after it, axe swinging over his head. The Harbinger ran into the white light and was repelled with such force that he hit Lex, pushing him across the cave to slam painfully into the cave wall, sliding to the floor unconscious.  
  
The First was still howling in rage, still falling to pieces. Buffy felt the incredible heat in her eyes again, it hurt and tears started streaming down her face, but she forced herself to open her eyes for real, tightened the grip she had on Clark's hand yet again. One flash, one searing lightening bolt through her head and the flames erupted, blasting out of her straight into the First. It exploded into millions of ashy pieces, and Buffy abruptly released the hands she was holding, falling to the cave floor, her own hands covering her face, trying to soothe the fiery pain there.  
  
"Gone," Willow pronounced, opening her eyes dazedly, watching the white light slowly disappear. Spike and Clark went to Buffy's aid quickly, but she was already recovering from the borrowed heat vision, and allowed them to help her to her feet. She looked to Willow first, saw she was alright, and then surveyed the vestiges of battle strewn around before her.  
  
With the disappearance of the First and the white light, the remainder of the Harbingers had fallen to dust, and Buffy took in the consequences of the fight. Ten of the Potentials had been killed, hot tears coming to her eyes, and she couldn't talk because her throat had suddenly closed on her. Dawn had several bleeding wounds, but looked all right. Xander and Anya had fared no worse, but Andrew looked like he had a broken arm to go along with his lacerations. Spike and Clark, standing next to her, would be all right as well. Clark looked for Lex, relieved when he didn't see him in with the fallen girls on the cave floor, heart stopping abruptly when he did see him, motionless against the cave wall.  
  
"Lex," he shouted, running over to kneel down and gather Lex in his arms. "Lex?" he said fearfully, feeling his throat for a pulse, relieved beyond belief to find one. Clark moved his face close to Lex's, feeling for the warm breath on his cheek, more reassuring confirmation than the pulse under his fingers. Lex's eyes opened slowly, and Clark's face was mere inches from his, looking at him with such an expression of dismay that Lex almost smiled.  
  
"Did I die again? Every time you kiss me I'm dead." He mumbled regretfully.  
  
Clark pulled Lex's head against his chest and held him there. "God, Lex. You weren't dead, but I sure thought you were. And I didn't kiss you."  
  
"Did we win?" Lex asked, voice muffled, the sound vibrating into Clark's skin beneath his shirt.  
  
Clark looked over sorrowfully at the Potentials who hadn't made it, at Dawn gathered up into Buffy's arms, at the rest of the Potential Slayers weeping quietly, at Xander and Anya holding each other and kissing, at Willow and some girl doing the same thing. Andrew was standing quietly against the cave wall, alone, cradling his injured arm, and Spike walked over and gave him a brief pat on the shoulder, saying something to him softly, an open look of gratitude on Andrew's face at the gesture.  
  
"Kind of," Clark replied, helping Lex to his feet. "We get to go home tomorrow, Lex."  
  
"Good," Lex exclaimed. "I can't wait. I guess I'll just tell your parents we didn't like the clubs."  
Spike and Lex were sitting on the front porch. It was almost midnight and everyone was still reeling from the events of the day. Lex had gone and bought some good scotch, and he and Spike were taking turns serving each other.  
  
"So," Spike said, breaking a long silence. "Off to Kansas tomorrow then?"  
  
"Yea," Lex answered shortly.  
  
"Glad?"  
  
"Really glad."  
  
"I'm glad you came."  
  
Lex raised his glass and Spike did the same, the small clink loud in the quiet of the night. "Believe it or not, now that it's over, I'm glad we came, too. How are things with you and the Slayer, by the way?" Lex asked, taking another sip just as the front door opened and the woman in question came out onto the porch to join them.  
  
"I think I'm about to find out." Spike told him.  
  
Lex stood, refilling Spike's glass and then taking the bottle with him. "In that case, I'm turning in. I'll see you in the morning before I leave, right?"  
  
Spike looked at Buffy. "That's kind of up to her," he said quietly.  
  
"Good night, Buffy." Lex said, heading inside.  
  
"Lex," Buffy stopped him with a hand on his arm, and he allowed it, surprising himself. "Thank you. I don't think you realize how important it was, what we all did today."  
  
"I do. And you're welcome. But, please leave us off the guest list for the next Apocalypse. We won't be insulted. 'Night."  
  
She smiled after him and turned to Spike then, leaning on the porch rail. He stood and took a place next to her, taking a breath of her perfume and the wonderful Buffy scent he knew so well.  
  
"Thank you, too, Spike," she said softly, reaching over to take his hand. "I knew you could do it."  
  
"Red actually did it," Spike protested, afraid to move, lest she let go of his hand. Her fingers were running idly over his, warming his skin by degrees, building heat in other places as well.  
  
"I'm not talking about the spell," she informed him, watching his face as he looked at her curiously. "I knew you could be what you are, a good man."  
  
"Buffy, I'm not."  
  
She interrupted him, reaching up to put a finger on his lips. "It's no use pretending anymore, Spike. You haven't been bad in a long time."  
  
She moved the finger across his wonderfully defined cheek to his jawbone, trailing it silkily down to his chin, his head following the movement until his face was inches from hers. She released her hold on his hand and reached up to frame his face, pulling him in slowly to kiss his lips gently, a promise of more. Spike put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them gently, not forcing more into the kiss than she was giving tonight.  
  
She stood away from him then. "I'll see you in the morning, Spike. Good night."  
  
Spike waited until she had gone inside and closed the door, then downed the last of his scotch, smiling.  
  
Lex waited until they were back in Smallville, setting up a game of pool, before he allowed himself to ask.  
  
"Did you mean it back there?" he questioned quietly, idly running his fingers along the polished wood, movement effectively masking the fluttering nervousness inside.  
  
"Did I mean what?" Clark asked absently, searching around for all the balls to get them racked and ready.  
  
"Did you mean it when you said you were ready?" Lex reminded him, realizing he was holding his breath, hadn't really known until this minute how much he wanted Clark. Needed Clark.  
  
"Yes, I meant it, Lex." Clark told him, turning his face to Lex's, looking right into his eyes, and Lex had never felt so naked and accessible before, the movement of his hand on the pool stick freezing. "I've hardly been able to think of anything else since Spike hinted at it that day. It got me so scared. I almost couldn't even look you in the eye. Then I thought I'd have to stay away from the mansion. But I could never do that, I had to be here whenever I could, and that was when I knew Spike was right. I don't know how he knew, vampire senses he said, and I guess I believe that. He was right. I need to be with you."  
  
"Clark, are you really sure?" Lex asked. "Because if we do that, if we go there, I don't think we'll ever be able to go back to this."  
  
Clark abandoned the pool table and walked up to Lex slowly, stopping just far enough away so they could feel the heat coming from each other's bodies. He ran his hand down the side of Lex's face, along his throat to rest on his chest lightly, holding Lex's gaze, hearing the erratic pounding of his heart, as well as feeling it under his hand.  
  
"I think that's the only place I want to be," he replied, leaning closer, meeting Lex's mouth with his, this kiss infinitely better than the first one they had shared by the river's edge.  
  
Lex decided to call Spike and thank him. 


End file.
